If you were to tell Jana Roerick that one of her pies was the best you’d ever tasted, well, it wouldn’t be the first time she had heard those words.

But, the frequency of such ardent proclamations doesn’t diminish the sense of accomplishment she feels when she hears it. Not one bit.

“I appreciate it so much,” she says. “But I also remain humble because I think it’s important to keep your feet on the ground about it. I know I’m not an astronaut or anything — it’s just baking — but it gives me a lot of excitement. And it just pushes me forward to keep trying and do more and more creations and more combinations of fruits.

“I’m a little too humble sometimes about it,” she adds with a laugh.

Through her bakery Jana’s Bake Shop on Saltspring Island, Roerick has become known for mixing and mingling deliciously unusual flavours. In fact, it has become a huge source of pride for the self-taught baker.

Jana Roerick.Handout via Figure 1 Publishing

“I go for unusual things,” she says. “If I ever find a new fruit that I want to try, I just taste it, and then I work on the balancing of that with whatever else I’m going to put into it.”

Roerick says ingredients like mango and ginger have been some of the more unique flavours additions to elicit surprised responses from customers after their first bite.

“They’ll be like, ‘Mango? I’ve never had mango in a pie before,’” she says with a laugh.

So, how does Roerick decide which ingredients she’d like to throw into her creations? The answer is quite simple: It’s all about what’s available.

“I’m always looking to the growers for what they’re bringing onboard and if it’s anything different that I can try out. I deal with the growers on Saltspring quite a bit,” she says. “As far as resources go, I’m very resourceful that way. If I don’t have an ingredient, then I’m looking for ways to switch it out for something else.”

For example, she says, if you have fruit growing in your backyard, say grapes perhaps, consider baking them into your dishes instead of something more expected like raspberries or apples.

“Naturally, I would try to pair that with raisins. So, you’ve got a raisin pie that has grapes in their natural and dried state, with some lemon, or a little bit of orange and ginger,” she suggests.

For Roerick, baking is all about experimentation and having fun with your food rather than adhering to a concrete set of rules and recipe steps.

That “approachable” element to baking is the major message she hopes people take away from her new cookbook, The Little Island Bake Shop: Heirloom Recipes Made for Sharing.

“We wanted to make it very accessible. And I believe we’ve achieved that quite nicely in the way that if people can see that certain bases can be switched out, like you can use the base for the pumpkin squares for the lemon squares … that was really my goal. To not make it too complicated and instead to make it exciting for people to see, in the recipes, that they can use the buttery pie crust instead for this pie. No worries,” she says. “I wanted people to see that there are other ways to get creative with the recipes and they’re not all hard and fast.”

A quick thumb through the curated book yields an endless stream of images showcasing mouthwatering creations. Eighty of them, to be exact. And, for those wondering, Roerick admits to trying all the recipes on offer in the book. (Yes, all of them!)

“Absolutely,” she says with a laugh when asked if she had, in fact, tasted the full fruits of her labour. “Everything in there comes from my repertoire of what I make. So, I’ve baked it and I’ve eaten it.”

While the hardcover cookbook features an array of delectable treats to try making at home — including Seasonal Fruit Crisp, Icebox Shortbread, Apple Oatmeal Muffins and even a section devoted to savouries — it will undoubtedly be the section devoted to pies and tarts that will be earmarked by more than a few eager home bakers.

After all, they’re a clear favourite among her fans — and herself.

“The pies that we do are loved from B.C. to California. People come and they do special orders before they come for a visit. They’ve gone to Vancouver — and they’ve gone as far as Hong Kong. I have a woman that comes in and buys three blueberry pies for her dad and flies them to Hong Kong,” she says. “The pies give me a lot of joy to create because the simplicity of getting the flavours balanced, with the fruits and the gentleness of the spices, it’s about adding just enough to make everything shine. Not too sweet, not too sour. But well balanced. And that brings me a lot of joy.

“I know I’ve done a good job when people come back, time and time again, and they say that was the best pie they’ve ever eaten in their whole life.”

Pumpkin Doughnuts

“I don’t sell doughnuts in my shop, but I used to make them back when I was wheeling my cart around Toronto Island. This dough doesn’t require yeast, and it makes an old-fashioned cake doughnut that is super satisfying. Don’t be intimated by frying the batter — it’s much easier than you think.”

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp shortening

3 egg yolks

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup store-bought or homemade Pumpkin Purée (page 20)

4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Pumpkin Glaze (page 14]) or icing sugar (optional)

Method

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream sugar and shortening until smooth. Beat in egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a third bowl, combine sour cream and pumpkin purée and mix well.

In alternating measures, stir the pumpkin mixture and dry ingredients into the egg mixture until you have a sticky, uniform dough. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Put the dough on a lightly floured counter. Flour your hands and gently press out the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Dip a doughnut cutter into flour each time (to prevent it from sticking) and cut out doughnuts. Carefully transfer doughnuts to a tray lined with paper towels. Lightly flour counter again and re-roll leftover dough. Cut out more doughnuts.

Pour oil into a deep-sided frying pan or large pot and heat until it reaches a temperature between 325°F and 350°F. Carefully lower 4 doughnuts into oil at a time and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned on the bottom. Turn over and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes until golden. (I will often break one in half to ensure it is cooked through.) With a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts back to the tray lined with paper towels. Set aside to cool slightly.

When they are just cool enough to handle, dip top sides of doughnuts into glaze (if using) to cover and set aside to cool. Alternatively, sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve immediately.

Make 12 to 20 doughnuts, depending on size of cutter.

Lemon Chiffon Cake

“This cake is so light and fluffy, it’s like biting into a lemon-flavoured cloud. It has a delicate structure and gets its lift from two leaveners: a chemical one, baking powder, and a mechanical one, which is egg white. It’s more forgiving than an angel food cake, and so good — you’ll probably feel as if you could sit down and eat the whole thing. You’ll need a 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom for this recipe.”

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

6 eggs, separated

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1 quantity Lemon Buttercream (page 7)

Method

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a bowl, whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix water and lemon juice. Beat in egg yolks, oil and lemon zest. With a spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until evenly mixed. Set aside.

With a spatula, gently fold in half the egg whites to lighten batter. (Fold gently so as not to knock the air out of the egg whites.) Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until incorporated.

Pour batter into a straight-sided tube pan (with a removable bottom) and level with an offset spatula. Bake on the centre rack for 1 hour (do not open oven door). Remove cake from oven and set the centre of the tube onto the top of a full tin can, leaving the cake upside down in the pan. (The structure of the cake is so delicate that it must be upside down so it won’t collapse into itself.) Allow cake to cool completely before removing from pan.

To loosen the cake, carefully run a palette knife around the perimeter of the pan. Remove outer pan then run a palette knife along the base of the tube pan to release the cake. Carefully invert cake onto a serving plate, frost with lemon buttercream and serve.

Fill a medium saucepan a quarter full with water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

In a small heatproof bowl, whisk sugar, eggs and salt. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk continuously. If the water comes to a boil or begins to steam, turn off the heat. Whisk until the mixture reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or until hot to the touch and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until it is thick and pale.

With the mixer running, add butter and shortening a little at a time and beat until light and fluffy. Turn mixer off, remove bowl from mixer and scrape down to ensure the ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Return bowl to mixer and, on low speed, slowly add icing sugar and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Increase speed and beat until light and fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer, scrape down again and beat for another two minutes. Use immediately. (Alternatively, store in the fridge for up to two weeks. When ready to use, allow buttercream to soften at room temperature and beat until smooth and spreadable.)

Lemon Curd

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

Method

In a small bowl, whisk whole eggs and yolks together. Set aside.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan set over low heat. When butter is almost melted, whisk in sugar, eggs and lemon juice. Using a heatproof spatula, stir continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the curd to boil.

Place lemon zest in a glass or steel bowl. Strain lemon curd into the bowl, pressing lightly on it but taking care to strain out any solids. Stir to incorporate lemon zest. Set aside to cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, but preferably overnight.